61. High achievers seldom focus on perfection
A writer friend of mine has been working on a novel for four years, completing over four drafts. Each time he finishes a draft, he notices something important is missing and feels he can improve it.
He describes this as a criticism of himself, believing his better self has yet to start writing the novel.
To find the unknown and missing elements, he rewrites everything repeatedly, never quite satisfied. The last draft I saw was an excellent piece of fiction.
I fear the novel might never be finished, as my friend is a perfectionist.
Perfectionists often move slowly, frequently repeating the same actions and rarely achieving significant results.
In today's environment, quality and quantity are closely connected, so focus should be on results rather than perfection.
Research indicates that perfectionists tend to sacrifice quantity when aiming for perfect outcomes.
Perfectionists tend to be eccentric. They are never satisfied and often highlight flaws both at home and at work.
Creating detailed plans and step-by-step work charts, only to constantly revise them, becomes the main task a perfectionist undertakes.
One could talk about his achievements for hours, but he will always include one or two points needing a final touch.
He feels disappointed when work or actions cannot be revised. After all, spoken words and gunfire are irreversible.
If someone is highly ambitious and has selected a profession that matches their interests, they need to remain extremely vigilant. Because intense focus on perfection can lead to very limited results despite hard work.
Thus, the aim should be a comprehensive result, not perfection. Since perfection in any task lacks fixed standards, a complete outcome simply means the task is finished. And that is the end of the matter.
A poor outcome should not be regarded as a failure. Since mistakes are just signals to improve, they do not count as failures.
High achievers rarely obsess over perfection. It's more beneficial not to be overly self-focused.